Bücher von Edward Docx

This beguiling novel is a provocative romantic comedy centered on a young London calligrapher named Jasper, who is an engaging, intelligent serial seducer and a breaker of hearts. But when he meets Madeleine, a captivating but enigmatic woman who is his equal in every way, he falls helplessly in love. Vulnerable for the first time, he is headed for his comeuppance at last. Jasper is transcribing the Songs and Sonnets of that other great lover, John Donne, for a rich American client. As he works on them (revealing to us the fascinating art of the calligrapher), he discovers that these wise and beautiful love poems illuminate his own experiences -- of the difference between love and lust, of the play of truth and deceit between men and women, of the cost of constancy. As well as bringing modern London vividly to life, The Calligrapher is keenly observant of contemporary relationships and modern mores. Underlying its sparkling surface are Jasper's wry but heartfelt lamentations about the diminishment of our culture: the trivial masquerading as the consequential, the rising tide of ignorance, the triumph of the lowest common denominator. At once wickedly witty and deeply serious, sweet and cynical, romantic and reflective, this stylish, wonderfully entertaining novel is an accomplished and exciting literary debut.

Was auf den ersten Blick aussieht wie ein abenteuerlicher Roadtrip in einem alten VW-Bus, ist in Wahrheit die letzte gemeinsame Reise einer etwas aus den Fugen geratenen Familie: Ein Vater und seine drei Söhne aus zwei verschiedenen Ehen sind auf dem Weg nach Zürich. In einer Klinik, die Sterbehilfe anbietet, will der Vater seinem Leben ein Ende setzen. Die knappe Zeit, die ihnen bleibt, lässt die Emotionen überschäumen: Sie lachen, sie streiten, sie betrinken sich und philosophieren über den Sinn des Lebens. Werden die Brüder den Vater von seinem Plan abbringen?